The other night, my newly-baptized 8 yr old comes up behind me and asks what I'm drinking.
"Dr. Pepper"
"Why are you drinking that?
"Uh...because I like it?"
"It has caffeine in it."
"Son...go to bed."
This one bugs me a little because we've never talked about caffeine in relation to the WOW. My caffeine intake is essentially limited to nightshifts and roadtrips where I'm getting tired, as I don't drink much soda at all. But my wife had bought a 12-pack for some friends who had come over to visit and they had left it untouched, so I treated myself to the wonderful goodness that is Dr. Pepper. So my first question is, where did he get this caffeine connection? And how does he know Dr. Pepper has caffeine in it? I'm suspicious that my MIL was involved, the same one who is 100 lbs overweight and has never walked the two blocks between her home and her work, yet won't touch or allow a drop of caffeine into her house.
But I digress...The deeper point that this has gotten me thinking about is how to teach the WOW to my kids. I feel like I grew up with an unhealthy obsession on rules, and as I'm raising my kids, I've tried to step back and teach them the principles behind the rules, and let them make their own. In relation to the WOW, I think the idea is clear--value and take care of the gift of your body that God has given you. Yet, the practical meaning of this seems to have warped into something entirely different--a sort of litmus test for the "active" Mormon.
So, I present to you my NIV of the WOW, or how I would set it up if (God forbid) I were in charge:
1) Make it a WOW, not by constraint.
2) Keep the ban on alcohol, or at least limit it to persons over say, 25. I know, there is a healthy way to drink alcohol. But there are so many unhealthy ways to do it and the havoc it can wreak on society is tremendous. It's as least as dangerous as MJ (and really, more so--I've NEVER seen anyone die from an overdose of MJ). Additionally, part of "valuing your body" is, in my mind, valuing the clarity of soberness, not just in relation to alcohol, but in relation to all substances whose chief purpose is to alter it. Hence the ban on people under 25--I think this is the age where most stop drinking for a buzz or to get drunk and transition over to a healthy sort of drinking.
3) Keep the ban on cigarettes/cigars/etc. A vile disgusting habit with no redeeming value.
4) Ban illicit drugs, including MJ (sorry Robin). See sobriety point above.
5) Change no coffee, tea, etc to "Eliminate excessive use of caffeine or stimulants". No coffee is just nutty and everyone around us thinks so. They're not admiring it, they're thinking "what the heck does coffee have to do with morality?"
6) Put sugar on the same level as caffeine--eliminate excessive use.
7) Maintain a healthy weight. I'm tempted to suggest in Sunday school some day that we require a BMI under 30 to attend the temple. Ridiculous? Yeah, so is the coffee ban.
8) Daily activity or exercise.
9) Eat plenty of fruits of vegetables.
Any other suggestions?
"Dr. Pepper"
"Why are you drinking that?
"Uh...because I like it?"
"It has caffeine in it."
"Son...go to bed."
This one bugs me a little because we've never talked about caffeine in relation to the WOW. My caffeine intake is essentially limited to nightshifts and roadtrips where I'm getting tired, as I don't drink much soda at all. But my wife had bought a 12-pack for some friends who had come over to visit and they had left it untouched, so I treated myself to the wonderful goodness that is Dr. Pepper. So my first question is, where did he get this caffeine connection? And how does he know Dr. Pepper has caffeine in it? I'm suspicious that my MIL was involved, the same one who is 100 lbs overweight and has never walked the two blocks between her home and her work, yet won't touch or allow a drop of caffeine into her house.
But I digress...The deeper point that this has gotten me thinking about is how to teach the WOW to my kids. I feel like I grew up with an unhealthy obsession on rules, and as I'm raising my kids, I've tried to step back and teach them the principles behind the rules, and let them make their own. In relation to the WOW, I think the idea is clear--value and take care of the gift of your body that God has given you. Yet, the practical meaning of this seems to have warped into something entirely different--a sort of litmus test for the "active" Mormon.
So, I present to you my NIV of the WOW, or how I would set it up if (God forbid) I were in charge:
1) Make it a WOW, not by constraint.
2) Keep the ban on alcohol, or at least limit it to persons over say, 25. I know, there is a healthy way to drink alcohol. But there are so many unhealthy ways to do it and the havoc it can wreak on society is tremendous. It's as least as dangerous as MJ (and really, more so--I've NEVER seen anyone die from an overdose of MJ). Additionally, part of "valuing your body" is, in my mind, valuing the clarity of soberness, not just in relation to alcohol, but in relation to all substances whose chief purpose is to alter it. Hence the ban on people under 25--I think this is the age where most stop drinking for a buzz or to get drunk and transition over to a healthy sort of drinking.
3) Keep the ban on cigarettes/cigars/etc. A vile disgusting habit with no redeeming value.
4) Ban illicit drugs, including MJ (sorry Robin). See sobriety point above.
5) Change no coffee, tea, etc to "Eliminate excessive use of caffeine or stimulants". No coffee is just nutty and everyone around us thinks so. They're not admiring it, they're thinking "what the heck does coffee have to do with morality?"
6) Put sugar on the same level as caffeine--eliminate excessive use.
7) Maintain a healthy weight. I'm tempted to suggest in Sunday school some day that we require a BMI under 30 to attend the temple. Ridiculous? Yeah, so is the coffee ban.
8) Daily activity or exercise.
9) Eat plenty of fruits of vegetables.
Any other suggestions?
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